A new report suggests states can cut corrections costs by improving probation and parole programs.
The study from the Pew Center on the States shows one out of every 31 adults in the U.S. is either in prison or on probation or parole. In Wisconsin, one in every 39 adults is in the system, at a cost of about $1.08 billion a year.
The Center's Adam Gelb says the corrections system has gotten massive, while not returning the kinds of results that should be expected for that kind of money.
Gelb says 90-percent of the money being spent on corrections is being used for prisons. He says community-based programs could be much more cost-effective in helping non-violent offenders. Those include programs such as electronic monitoring and incentive programs to help non-violent offenders get back into society quickly.
Wisconsin Department of Corrections Secretary Rick Raemisch says the state is already working towards many of those goals. He says Governor Doyle's budget proposal includes several initiatives that can cut costs, and also focus more on keeping non-violent offenders from going back to prison.
